having a positive attitude

My daughter Cynthia graduated from Drew University this past Saturday. Under the heading of the world at large, I started to write my impressions of the day. After three days of musings, with Cynthia’s picture as inspiration, I realized that her picture captures everything I could say in a single smile.

You probably guessed it before you began reading. The most dangerous threat to your job search isn’t the competition, the out of the blue interview questions or even the lack of jobs in your field. The most dangerous threat to your job search is you. This threat shows up in many ways, but negative self-talk can keep you on the sidelines. Alleydog defines Self Talk as:

Self Talk: Self Talk refers to the ongoing internal conversation with ourselves, which influences how we feel and behave.

For example, you find yourself in a traffic jam while rushing to work one morning. You self-talk could be pessimistic and you might think, “My whole day is ruined. If I don’t get to work on time, I’ll never hear the end of it. My boss will think that I’m no good and will surely pass me up for that promotion I’ve been working all year for.” You will then start your day in a bad mood and feel demotivated thinking that there’s no point in working hard since you already ruined your chances for a promotion.

On the other hand, you could have a more positive self-talk and think, “I’ll probably be no more than ten minutes late. I guess I’ll just have to take a quick lunch instead of going out to eat. If I can turn in my report before the end of the day and make sure that it’s error-free, I might still have a chance to get that promotion.”

I know it is hard to be objective when you are focusing on yourself, but that’s when you must. Self talk can either work in your favor and fuel your success or it can undermine your actions and keep you from landing your dream job. As you go through the job seeking process, you almost need to think of yourself as the job coach for yourself.

If you were advising a sibling, a close friend or your own children about a job, what advice would you give them? As you think of your own situation, is the advice you are giving yourself what you would tell them? If not, then you are not thinking clearly about the job prospect or yourself.

And don’t over think. The interview today may lead to a job offer, but you must remain focused. Talking yourself out of continuing the job search because you have a possible opportunity that sounds promising sets yourself up for disappointment.

So talk to yourself about how you are talking to yourself. It may just be what you need to change negative thought into positive energy. The end result will be that warm fuzzy feeling that comes when you are sitting in your new hire orientation!

The 13th hole at Augusta, named Azalea, is a beautiful par 5. An accurate tee shot to the center of the fairway on this sweeping dogleg left allows a player to go for the green in two. A tributary to Rae’s Creek winds in front of the raised green, and four bunkers threaten behind. On Friday, Bubba Watson hit a perfect drive on 13, had a great iron shot into the green, but couldn’t close the deal with his putt and make eagle.

Yesterday, Phil Mickelson hit a monster tee shot on 13 into the fairway. Phil’s second shot landed almost 20 feet from the hole, some 13 feet further away than Bubba’s. Phil imagined what the putt would need to look like to go in. The ball actually had to go up hill and then make a sweeping right hand turn to get to the hole. And that’s exactly what it did! Phil was able to make 3 on this par 5 hole.

It’s no coincidence that Phil Mickelson is #2 two on the PGA Tour in strokes gained – putting. Phil is able to imagine the path the ball needs to take and then execute the stroke needed to create that path. Oh, and did I mention that Phil is in second place at the Masters, one shot behind Peter Hanson, going into the final round today?

As managers, we need to be able to imagine the end result and then execute it. Our employees count on us to understand the issue and then imagine the correct path to achieve the desired result. Those managers who can do that end up on company leader boards in the same way Phil Mickelson is on the Augusta Leader Board. Success begets success.

One final thought, there’s a difference between a professional golfer (manager) and the rest of us. As Phil is standing over that 20 foot putt, he knows he is going to make it. He is not thinking of all the reasons why it might not go in. He believes it will go in. To close the deal, to complete the project, to be a successful manager, you need to believe it too.

It wasn’t just that he said “I’ll check with my office” when I asked him about a special pick up, it was the way he said it. If my eyes had been closed I would have pictured him in a three-piece suit standing at one end of a large conference table with Board Members and Senior Executives all waiting to hear what he had to say next.

And it wasn’t forced. His comment was as natural as if he was asking you to pass the butter at the dinner table. His answer was also sincere. He really wanted to take care of my needs, as the customer, and I walked away from our interaction just knowing that he would “check with his office” and I would get the extra pick up I needed.

I once had an employee leave because he felt he was being asked to do something that was beneath him. He wasn’t able to project, even to himself, an attitude that says “I’m proud of myself and I take pride in what I do.” He got lost in what he perceived the “status of the job” to be.

Having a positive attitude about yourself works in your favor in so many ways. Here are just a few:

You want a promotion at work – If your attitude is that you already have the job and your actions show you are doing the job, you will be in the right place when the opening occurs

You are interviewing for a job – Your positive, I can solve your problem, attitude will strike a chord during the interview. Combine that with some specific examples of how you have solved problems in the past and you are on your way to hearing “when can you start”

It has been over 10 years since my garbage man told me “I’ll check with my office”. He made a huge impression that day. Think about your attitude, adjust as necessary and let me know how this works for you.

I recently heard from a gentleman who is 62. He has a very long record of success in his industry. Looking for a new job, he has gotten many first interviews, but is not getting called back. He feels the interviews go great, but I told him if that were true, he would be hired by now. I then suggested several specific things he could do during his next interview.

Having a positive attitude is one of the best attributes a person can have during the hiring process. But it shouldn’t get in the way of thinking clearly about how you are approaching your interviews. As with the gentleman above, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with the interview from his side, yet he is not getting hired. Once he opens himself up to seeing the situation from a different perspective, meaning from the interviewer’s eyes, he will begin to see what he needs to change to land the job.

The whole process of putting yourself out there in an interview can be intimidating. It is a contest of sorts, with the winner getting the 401k and the two weeks paid vacation. We pump ourselves up before the interview, do research about the company, practice interview questions and then arrive early for the appointment. But what do most people do after the interview?

Well, after sending a hand written thank you card, the serious candidate will honestly assess the interview. George Bradt, of Forbes Magazine says there are only three true job interview questions: 1. Can you do the job? 2. Will you love the job? 3. Can we tolerate working with you?

Assessing my 62 year old candidate: Yes, he really does have the experience for the job. He has a passion for the work, you can hear that when you speak with him. So on some level, the interviewers must have felt he wasn’t a good fit for their organization. That’s where he needs to focus.

Preparing for the interview is a huge part of landing a new job. Facing the music after the interview, though, may be more important.